Prosper raises $70m in funding

Prosper Marketplace, the fastest growing peer-to-peer lending company in the U.S., today announced it has raised $70 million in additional funding to fuel the company's growth and expansion.

The round was led by Francisco Partners, a leading global private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in technology and technology-enabled services businesses. David Golob from Francisco Partners will join the Prosper Marketplace Board of Directors. The funding round also includes investments from Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), one of the premier later-stage venture capital and growth equity firms, as well as Phenomen Ventures.

"We are thrilled to welcome Francisco Partners, IVP, and Phenomen Ventures as equity investors in Prosper Marketplace," said Aaron Vermut, CEO, Prosper Marketplace. "We have had an incredible year so far, and have grown monthly platform originations from $9 million in January 2013 to over $100 million in April. Last month Prosper crossed $1 billion in total loans originated on the platform, and Prosper plans to hit $2 billion in cumulative loans this year. Financially, Prosper Marketplace is in a very solid place and this capital will be used to expand the business, advance our technology, and hire the very best talent."

Over the past 15 months, Prosper has focused on improving its efficiencies and products through the use of cutting-edge technologies. This has helped to attract new borrowers and lenders at a rapid pace, with loan originations growing over 400% since last year and up 30% from last month. At the end of April, Prosper had 35% share of the online consumer peer-to-peer lending market place.

"In a short period of time, Prosper Marketplace has become a leading player in the massive consumer lending market, which is ripe for disruption," said David Golob, a partner for Francisco Partners. "We've been tremendously impressed with the team and what they have been able to accomplish in the last 15 months, and we are excited to work with them as they take the company forward."

"We're very pleased to be partnering with Prosper Marketplace, which has firmly established itself as a leader in the rapidly growing peer-to-peer lending industry," said Sandy Miller, General Partner at IVP. "IVP prides itself on working with a select group of rapidly growing later-stage technology companies and we are looking forward to working closely with the Prosper Marketplace management team on their next phase of growth."

"Prosper Marketplace has an incredibly talented team, headed by Aaron Vermut, and has flawlessly executed its business objectives," said Igal Weinstein of Phenomen Ventures. "We believe the company has a clear future of substantial growth in the addressable market and we are very happy to be partnering with the other investors in Prosper Marketplace."